Meet the Lost Boys of Sudan

Alephonsion Awer Deng
Alephonsion, 21, works in the medical records department at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Diego, California.  He is enrolled at San Diego’s City College and is considering a career as a radiology technician.  He has also worked as an actor, appearing in the Russell Crowe film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.        

“The name Lost Boys came to be when our village was attacked by fierce Arab horsemen.  We, little boys, spewed out of the blazing village like a colony of ants disturbed in their nest.  We ran in different directions, not knowing where we are going. We gathered some fruits for our breakfast and lunch.  We, little boys, were so messy, all chaos and cries filled the dark fiercely lightless night.”  

Benson Athiin Deng
Benson, 23, has been working at a grocery store in Hillcrest, California for two years and is in his fourth semester at City College.  He enjoys art, writing, and travel, and is considering a career in computers. 

“When I was seven years old, it took us three months to walk all the way to Ethiopia on foot.  The walking was always by night and I hated this very much because we were not allowed to sleep and when I stepped on unidentified things in the dark like thorns, twigs and sharp stones, my feet were sore all the time.  But I was not the only one, about twenty-five boys my age shared the same hardships.  This stopped me from any complaints or crying because I was with strange people.”

Daniel Akech James
Daniel completed his studies at City College and entered the University of San Diego in the fall of 2003.  He was the 2003 recipient of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Lucy Dillion Rastetter Achievement Award.

“Because humankind often needs support in one way or another, I am very grateful to those people who help Lost Boys ride their high plane of dignity toward success!  The world has been working very hard to bring peace to my country, but it has not been easy."  

Jacob Majak
Jacob arrived in San Diego in March, 2001. He is completing his second year at City College and plans to transfer to a university for an accounting degree and CPA certification.  He currently works as a security guard.

“I will always recall living in the Kenyan refugee camp for nine years where dust covered the sky and I couldn’t see the sun, where my life relied on a pound of food and a bottle of water for two weeks.  In all these difficulties, my only hope was education and in these conditions I dreamed of pursuing my goal in the future.  I was the first of a hundred Lost Boys who were welcomed to San Diego in 2001. The first thing I said when I arrived was, “Please show me the school. How can I get started?”